Chapter 91

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The autumn wind swept across the fallen leaves at the inn’s entrance. The waiter leaning against the door yawned, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and turned back inside.

“Boss, business has been getting worse these past two days. There’s hardly anyone on the streets.”

Behind the counter, the shopkeeper, who had been fiddling with an abacus, lifted his gaze from the account book and brushed his mustache with a finger.

“In years of calamity, strange things tend to happen…”

With that, he gestured with his mouth toward the upper floor, signaling the waiter.

“Go tell that scholar and Daoist inside to come down for a meal. Try to serve them the expensive dishes.”

“As expected of the shopkeeper, always thinking ahead.”

The waiter flicked the cloth over his shoulder, stomped up the stairs, and knocked on the door. “Young Master, it’s almost noon. Why not come down and dine with the Daoist? We’ve got a few new dishes today—tender lamb shank, salt-roasted fat goose, dripping with rich juices, absolutely delicious…”

He chattered for a while, but no response came from within.

Frowning, the waiter pushed the door slightly. With a creak, it swung open.

Inside, the room was empty, not a single soul in sight. Even the bookshelf in the corner had disappeared. The bedding was neatly folded, and on the round table, sixty copper coins lay in place.

“Gone?”

The waiter glanced around, then quickly swiped a few coins into his sleeve before gathering the rest and hurrying downstairs.

“Boss, they checked out. Here, this is the room fee.”

The copper coins clattered onto the counter. The waiter, humming a tune, swayed his head as he sauntered away. But moments later, the shopkeeper let out a soft “Oh?”

“That scholar sure knows how to keep accounts. Not a single coin missing.”

Hearing this, the waiter hurriedly reached into his sleeve, only to find the pouch inside completely flat—empty.

Beyond the city, the autumn landscape stretched in hues of withering gold. Leading his old donkey, Lu Liangsheng passed through the western gate, taking a winding path toward the northwest. A toad lounged lazily inside a small compartment of the bookshelf, legs crossed, idly humming along to an opera playing from a nearby painting scroll.

Meanwhile, Sun Yinxian darted about like a wild dog off its leash, rummaging through everything in sight. He climbed a nearby tree and pulled out a bird’s nest—only to find a snake inside. Without hesitation, he struck it dead in an instant, swiftly skinned it, and stuffed it into his pouch.

“I’ll cook up something good for you all later!”

Smelling the scent of blood, the Toad propped itself up and peeked out from its compartment. “Another field frog?”

“It’s autumn. Where would I even find one?” The Daoist lifted the flap of his leather pouch slightly, revealing a snake’s head. “This time of year, you’ve got to eat something like this. It’s highly nourishing.”

The Toad Daoist nodded. “See if there are any birds around. We’ll make a Dragon-Phoenix Soup. Remember to add scallions and ginger to suppress the gamey taste!”

“Got it. Just wait and see.”

The Daoist tightened the pouch and ran off excitedly. Then, he suddenly stopped, tilting his head. “Wait… why am I listening to this old toad?”

Behind him—

From within the bookshelf, the opera song shifted between gentle sorrow and deep yearning. Lu Liangsheng knew Honglian was deliberately singing to ease his mood.

Anyone with keen eyes could tell something was weighing on his mind, but since Lu Liangsheng didn’t speak of it, neither the Toad nor Honglian pried. They simply did what they could to comfort him without being intrusive.

After some time, the song [Visiting Relatives at the Red Gates] came to an end. From inside the painting, Honglian spoke in a whisper.

“Young Master, was it pleasant to hear? Would you like me to continue?”

Walking ahead, Lu Liangsheng didn’t turn back. Gazing at the dim autumn daylight before him, he chuckled. “No need. Singing in broad daylight isn’t good for you.”

At that moment, the Toad Daoist cut in.

“Sing! This old man was just getting into it. Back when I cultivated, I never had the chance to enjoy the pleasures of the mortal world. Thinking back now, I really got the short end of the stick.”

His words drew laughter from both the scholar and the ghost. Lu Liangsheng’s heavy thoughts lightened for the moment. Smiling, he turned back to look at the bookshelf, idly stroking the donkey’s head.

As the old donkey snorted and huffed, he joked:

“By the way, Master, what were you like at your peak?”

“Hmph… you wouldn’t even be able to imagine.”

The Toad suddenly perked up, flipping upright in one swift motion. Dangling his webbed feet over the edge of the compartment, he gazed across the roadside fields with a nostalgic squint.

“Back in the day, your master was a force to be reckoned with. My cultivation was unmatched! Mountains and rivers trembled beneath my feet. Even the elite disciples of the great sects were sent out in full force just to surround me. A sea of people, artifacts blotting out the sun—”

Before he could finish, Sun Yinxian’s voice suddenly rang out from up ahead.

“There’s someone lying here!!”

The old donkey instinctively halted, but the momentum carried forward—sending the toad crashing straight out of the compartment. He barely managed to cling to the edge with his webbed feet, nearly tumbling over.

“Fortunately, this old man was prepared.”

“Master, wait here. I’ll go take a look.”

As soon as Lu Liangsheng finished speaking, he loosened the reins and strode quickly toward the Daoist. Freed from restraint, the old donkey happily galloped to the roadside. The sudden movement caused the bookshelf to shake violently, sending the small, dangling figure flying out. With a loud thud, it crashed onto the ground, twitching slightly.

On the other side—

By the time Lu Liangsheng arrived, Sun Yinxian was already crouching down, poking at a collapsed figure on the ground with a tree branch.

“This guy looks familiar. Seems like one of the attendants from that inn we stayed at.”

“It really is him.”

Lu Liangsheng checked for breath—steady. He then turned the man’s face slightly, confirming his identity. It was indeed another attendant from the Yuelai Inn. Just yesterday afternoon, when he was bathing, the water-fetching attendant had complained that this man had suddenly quit and run off, muttering something about a talking toad…

The Daoist prodded the man a few more times with the branch, frowning. “He doesn’t seem sick. Why is he passed out here?”

“We should take him back to the inn.”

The scholar wasn’t comfortable leaving someone unconscious in the wilderness. Even though this was an official road just outside the city, it wasn’t necessarily safe. Just as he and the Daoist prepared to lift the man, the moment they touched him— The figure on the ground suddenly bolted upright.

“Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me! If you’re leaving, just go! I’m not going back!”

The man didn’t look the least bit ill. In fact, he was quick and agile, scrambling away in a flash. Putting some distance between them, he shouted at Lu Liangsheng and the Daoist.

“You two just go away! It’s fine if you won’t take me with you! I’ll just wait here for the next group of trav— travel— trav—Wait… why is it you?!”

With a yelp, he spun around to flee.

The Daoist took one step forward and effortlessly grabbed him by the shoulder, yanking him back. His eyes widened.

“You think you can just run off after making a fool of me?”

Lu Liangsheng, who had been feeling weighed down earlier, found himself much more at ease after this unexpected encounter. He looked curiously at the attendant, intrigued by his act of feigning illness.

“You’re an attendant from Yuelai Inn. I remember you. Did you run off because you heard the toad beside me speak?”

Hearing the truth laid bare, the man shuddered. He cast a fearful glance at the scholar, then shifted his gaze toward the road. There, a coiled black shadow slowly straightened and rose.

His entire body trembled violently, and he nervously whispered to the scholar in front of him.

“…The toad talked. How could I not run? Sirs, I’m just skin and bones, barely a few pounds of flesh—could you… could you let me go?”

Ordinary people could live their whole lives without encountering something like this. Being scared out of his wits was only natural.

“You mean that toad?”

Following the attendant’s gaze to the road, Lu Liangsheng saw his master lazily stretching under the autumn sunlight. Smiling, he reassured him: “Don’t be afraid. He won’t harm you. The Daoist and I are both just human beings.”

Of course, he wouldn’t explain his relationship with the Toad to an outsider. A few more calming words finally put the man at ease.

Afterward, they learned that the inn attendant’s name was Wang Tianshi. When asked why he was pretending to be sick, he looked uneasy, rubbing the cold sweat off his palms before cautiously replying:

“If I pretended to be sick, I might run into some kind-hearted folks who’d take me along their journey—give me food, maybe even a job… Sirs, I really haven’t done anything bad. Please let me go… My village is haunted, so I left to find another way to survive…”

As they returned to the road, passing merchants on their way out of the city gave them curious glances.

The scholar’s white robe fluttered in the breeze. He bent down, picked up his master, and placed him back on the donkey’s head. Then, turning to the still-nervous Wang Tianshi, he asked:

“Haunted?”

The Daoist’s interest was immediately piqued. “A male ghost or a female ghost? This Daoist is an expert at exorcisms.”

“I-it’s…”

Before the attendant could answer, the Daoist threw an arm around his shoulders and pulled him along.

“Come, come! No need for extra words. This Daoist doesn’t charge a fee! Just tell me—where’s your village?”

“I-it’s about a hundred miles northwest of here…”

Wang Tianshi raised a trembling hand to point in one direction, his face full of despair.

“But… but I don’t want to go back…”

Behind them, Lu Liangsheng chuckled as he watched the two walking ahead. Taking hold of the old donkey’s reins, he called out: “Master, hold on tight.”

If he hadn’t said anything, it might have been fine. But the moment he did, the Toad Daoist’s face darkened, and he stretched out his webbed feet.

“Find me a rope! I want to tie it around my waist.”

From within the bookshelf’s hanging scroll, Hong Lian couldn’t hold back any longer—her delightful laughter rang out.